PHILADELPHIA - The longer Michael Vick spoke Wednesday, the more it sounded like he was giving a preview of the eulogy for Andy Reid.

Vick felt he, not Reid, was a lot more responsible the Eagles' four-game losing streak and all but fatal 1-4 start.

Vick blamed himself and his teammates, not the coaching staff, for turning their Sunday game against the Washington Redskins (3-1) at FedEx Field into basically an elimination contest.

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It's impossible to avoid the criticism, the talk of how Reid must go and how he should take defensive coordinator Juan Castillo with him.

"I hear it," Vick said. "But I know it's not Coach's fault. It's not. Coach can't go out and hold onto the ball. Coach can't throw the ball down the field. Coach can only give us the recipe for victory. And that's what we're getting. It's the little things that are killing the game.

"It's not on Coach. And I know the game of football. I've been around the game for a long time. I know the intricacies and the ins and outs. And it's not Coach. Bottom line. Put that heat on the players. Put it on us. Don't put it on him."

If the Eagles don't defeat the Redskins, it might be their last chance to win for Coach. Reid angrily refuted an ESPN report the Eagles tried to hire Eric Mangini as a defensive consultant, calling it a "fabrication." If upper management explored adding a consultant, it would be infringing on Reid's authority over his coaches. But that's another story for another day.

Eagles players finally seem to realize the trouble they're in.

One week after some Eagles wanted to hold a players-only meeting, the Birds got together and did just that Wednesday morning.

Ironically Vick didn't speak, as he felt wide receiver Jason Avant and such veterans Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Cullen Jenkins just about said it all.

Vick still had a heavy heart following practice.

"I feel worse for our fans and for this organization than even for myself," Vick said. "Because I'm the guy lining up behind the center. And I'm pretty sure every guy in this locker room feels the same way. We know how we've been coached. We know how we prepare each and every week to come out and be the best and give 110 percent effort. And what we want to accomplish for our coaches and what we think he deserves."

Mangini works for ESPN. He has an ax to grind with the Reid coaching tree. Reid mentor Mike Holmgren, president of the Cleveland Browns, dismissed Mangini as head coach in favor of Pat Shurmur.

While it's conceivable Eagles upper management went through channels to reach Mangini, according to NFL sources, Mangini's ESPN connection appears to be the obvious source of the defensive consultant report.

Reid clearly took the affront to his authority over his coaching staff personally. Mangini isn't going to be on his Christmas card list. The way Reid snarled, a celebrity boxing match pitting the two could raise money for a lucky charity. Castillo might want some of that, as well.

Mangini, defensive consultant, the Eagles ...

"That's not true," Reid said. "None of that is true."

Reid's players have heard the rumors. They feel his pain.

"I guess I won't know unless it happens," veteran defensive tackle Mike Patterson said. "It's a tough thing. You don't want that. Especially here where everybody is working hard and trying to do their best to make things happen. But it's football. A lot of change is always made."

"Everybody is freaking," fullback Owen Schmitt said. "Obviously we're in a bad spot. But it's not the end of the world. We'll get ourselves right. We've just got to hang onto the ball. Play a solid game of football, limit the turnovers and we should be good."

The Eagles' defense still is under intense scrutiny despite its modest improvement in the 31-24 loss to the Bills this past Sunday. The Bills scored 17 points off five Eagles turnovers, including an interception Nick Barnett returned for a touchdown.

Reid interrupted a question about whether Castillo could fix all of the issues with "Let me explain that to you, real quick.

"When you have five turnovers you have a 6 percent chance of winning a football game," Reid said.

It might not be Coach's fault. But if the Eagles continue to slide, it's only a matter of time before someone else provides the recipe to victory.